We were having a bonspiel at our curling club. This means there was a lot of people coming in from out of town. We like to have a light lunch for our guests and volunteers bring in slow cookers of soup. My contribution this year was Onion Chili Soup.
My idea was to get the rich taste of chili in a soup as opposed to chili con carne. I decided to add more onion to kick up the flavour of a thinner chile. Also, I thought I could add some complexity by smoking ingredients with my Traeger Timberline.
I picked up a 1.5 kg (3 pound) boneless cross rib roast which is a piece of the chuck. I made up an injection of:
I sprinkled 5 ml (1 teaspoon) each of salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder over the roast.
I cored and cut 5 medium tomatoes in half and put them skin side down in a roasting pan. I cut two medium onions into quarters and put them on a perforated grilling sheet with 4 stalks of celery.
I put the beef on a top rack over the tomatoes and put the onions and celery in the smoker.
I smoked the beef and vegetables at 250 F (120 C) for about 2 1/2 hours until the vegetables started to get some good smoke colour and the skins were loose on the tomatoes. I took the vegetables in and continued cooking the beef until it had a nice brown colour and the internal temperature was 140 F (60 C) , about another hour.
While the beef was continuing to cook, I diced the onion and celery and put them in a bowl.
I put the tomato halves in the bowl and pulled the skins off. Then I roughly crushed the tomatoes with my fingers. Set the vegetables aside.
When the beef reached an internal temperature of 140 F (60 C), I put it in a roasting pan with 125 ml (1/2 cup) of beef stock. I covered the pan with foil and put it in a 250 F (120 C) oven until the internal temperature of the beef was 203 F (95 C).
I could have continued in the smoker instead of using the oven but it was winter in the Canadian Rockies and quite cold. As the meat is covered by foil, no more smoke would be exposed to the meat so I decided to move indoors.
When the meat reached a temperature of 203 F (95 C), I took it out of the oven and let it rest under the foil for 2 hours.
I took the beef out of the pan and cut the string that tied the roast. I pulled the beef into shreds an cut the shreds to cubes. Defat the juices in the roasting pan and add them to the beef.
I put the beef and vegetables in a large pot with:
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour.
Add 540 ml (19 oz) of canned kidney beans that have been rinsed under cold water. Simmer for 1/2 hour more.
The soup is ready to serve but it makes a lot. I filled my slow cooker to take to the bonspiel and let the rest cool and froze it in serving size containers.
The Verdict
I loved this and from the way it disappeared at the bonspiel, I think many other did, too! It has a rich beefy taste like a French onion soup with smokey undertones. The chili and tomato flavours add to the great heartiness of the soup giving just a touch of heat but no burn. Dang. Now I need a bowl of this soup!
Disco
My idea was to get the rich taste of chili in a soup as opposed to chili con carne. I decided to add more onion to kick up the flavour of a thinner chile. Also, I thought I could add some complexity by smoking ingredients with my Traeger Timberline.
I picked up a 1.5 kg (3 pound) boneless cross rib roast which is a piece of the chuck. I made up an injection of:
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) beef stock
- 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) soy sauce
- 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) Worcestershire sauce.
- 3 ml (3/4 teaspoon) onion powder
- 3 ml (3/4 teaspoon) garlic powder
I sprinkled 5 ml (1 teaspoon) each of salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder over the roast.
I cored and cut 5 medium tomatoes in half and put them skin side down in a roasting pan. I cut two medium onions into quarters and put them on a perforated grilling sheet with 4 stalks of celery.
I put the beef on a top rack over the tomatoes and put the onions and celery in the smoker.
I smoked the beef and vegetables at 250 F (120 C) for about 2 1/2 hours until the vegetables started to get some good smoke colour and the skins were loose on the tomatoes. I took the vegetables in and continued cooking the beef until it had a nice brown colour and the internal temperature was 140 F (60 C) , about another hour.
While the beef was continuing to cook, I diced the onion and celery and put them in a bowl.
I put the tomato halves in the bowl and pulled the skins off. Then I roughly crushed the tomatoes with my fingers. Set the vegetables aside.
When the beef reached an internal temperature of 140 F (60 C), I put it in a roasting pan with 125 ml (1/2 cup) of beef stock. I covered the pan with foil and put it in a 250 F (120 C) oven until the internal temperature of the beef was 203 F (95 C).
I could have continued in the smoker instead of using the oven but it was winter in the Canadian Rockies and quite cold. As the meat is covered by foil, no more smoke would be exposed to the meat so I decided to move indoors.
When the meat reached a temperature of 203 F (95 C), I took it out of the oven and let it rest under the foil for 2 hours.
I took the beef out of the pan and cut the string that tied the roast. I pulled the beef into shreds an cut the shreds to cubes. Defat the juices in the roasting pan and add them to the beef.
I put the beef and vegetables in a large pot with:
- 2 litres (2 quarts) beef stock
- 1 litre (1 quart) water
- 20 ml (4 teaspoons) chili powder
- 3 ml (3/4 teaspoon) dried chili flakes
- 2 – 156 ml (5.5 oz) cans tomato paste
- 20 ml (4 teaspoons) beef stock powder (OXO for example)
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) soy sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) honey
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour.
Add 540 ml (19 oz) of canned kidney beans that have been rinsed under cold water. Simmer for 1/2 hour more.
The soup is ready to serve but it makes a lot. I filled my slow cooker to take to the bonspiel and let the rest cool and froze it in serving size containers.
The Verdict
I loved this and from the way it disappeared at the bonspiel, I think many other did, too! It has a rich beefy taste like a French onion soup with smokey undertones. The chili and tomato flavours add to the great heartiness of the soup giving just a touch of heat but no burn. Dang. Now I need a bowl of this soup!
Disco
